Readarounds in Child and Youth Care

China meets new challenges in child development

United Nations Children's Fund Regional Director Ms. Mehr Khan said that
although China had done very well in child development, it was now facing
new challenges, including the rights of girls, HIV/AIDS prevention and care
and unbalanced development.

Ms. Mehr Khan made the remarks Tuesday at the China and United Nations
Children's Fund Mid-term Review Meeting in Beijing.

After hearing speeches made by Chinese officials from the Ministry of
Commerce, Ms. Khan congratulated China's achievements on child survival,
development and protection.

According to Wang Xinggen from the ministry, child health in China has
been continually improving. Overall estimates by the government indicate
that infant and under-five mortality has declined. The maternal mortality
rate has decreased to 50 per 100,000 live births. The nutritional situation
of children has been improving significantly.

Malnourishment is mainly found in rural areas; there is almost no
malnourishment among urban children, and obesity is becoming a new worry.
Child education has universally heightened. Enrolment rates in primary
education have reached 99 percent in China. The female illiteracy rate has
dropped by 10 percentage points.

China has formulated various national policies to protect children's
rights. Laws and regulations have been made on child laborer and human
trafficking. The enabling environment for children has been further
optimized. Children in difficulty have now special protection. China has set
out to assist and protect street children also. The country has invested in
building assistance and protection centers for its street children.

However, Ms. Mehr Khan pointed out that there are still serious child
problems in China, such as girls' rights, HIV/AIDS prevention and care and
unbalanced development. Girls who are left out of school are vulnerable
to violence, exploitation, trafficking, and poverty. They are more likely to
die while giving birth, and are at greater risk of disease, especially HIV.
UNICEF called on China to focus on getting all girls into school and making
sure they complete a quality basic education. Ms. Mehr Khan gave an example
of the AIDS crisis in Sub-Saharan Africa, which has more than 29 million
people living with HIV. She also warned that Asia is becoming the second
Africa.

The current estimate of the number of people living with HIV/AIDS in
China is over a million, which would imply a prevalence of almost 0.1
percent. Projections by the Chinese Academy of Preventive Medicine point out
that 7 million people could be living with HIV by 2005 and 10-15 million by
2010. The Chinese government must focus on the HIV issue.

Statistics show about 50 percent of the youth in China still do not know
the three ways to contract the HIV virus and consequently, China should
invest more on AIDS education to its young.

Due to historical, geographical and cultural reasons, there are great
disparities in economic development among different regions, which have led
to disparities in the development of children. There are still millions of
poor people living in China, mostly distributed in western parts.

The infant and maternal mortality rate in western regions is all far
higher than in coastal areas, and the degree of attainment in education is
clearly lower than in coastal regions. The gap between urban and rural areas
in this regard is wide.

Ms. Mehr Khan believes that with the help of international community and
organizations, China will achieve its goals in child development in the
future and it will build a more caring home for its children.